Ian
Club Member
Cost wise it depends a lot on the level/standard you want to go to and how fussy you want to be. You can go as far with the work as you can imagine and use a lot of custom made parts or keep it cheap by using second hard parts for everything.
Don't assume a car sold as restored is actually restored as you may want it to be unless they can provide photos from the bare metal stage the whole way through the project.
IMO the best way may be to get a US 280Z that look good on the surface and has no previous restoration/repair work. Then look into a RHD conversion. A lot of UK cars can be good everywhere that can be seen, but doesn't mean there won't be well developed rust in the parts that cannot be inspected. Hence why on mine we cut open every sealed area on the frame/body to repair if needed and seal even if it wasn't so I've eliminated anything that could have become a problem 5+ years down the line.
I used my car mostly stock for around half a year, then half a year with upgraded brakes and suspension before I did any of the other work and I enjoyed it in this form and it confirmed I would be happy to continue with the rest of my plans.
Don't assume a car sold as restored is actually restored as you may want it to be unless they can provide photos from the bare metal stage the whole way through the project.
IMO the best way may be to get a US 280Z that look good on the surface and has no previous restoration/repair work. Then look into a RHD conversion. A lot of UK cars can be good everywhere that can be seen, but doesn't mean there won't be well developed rust in the parts that cannot be inspected. Hence why on mine we cut open every sealed area on the frame/body to repair if needed and seal even if it wasn't so I've eliminated anything that could have become a problem 5+ years down the line.
I used my car mostly stock for around half a year, then half a year with upgraded brakes and suspension before I did any of the other work and I enjoyed it in this form and it confirmed I would be happy to continue with the rest of my plans.